This invention relates to a gasket for sealing a casket.
A casket has a bottom shell whose upper edge around its perimeter is formed as a horizontal flange, the flange having an upwardly-facing surface. A lid has a perimeter rim that terminates in a flange with a downwardly-facing surface. A gasket must be provided between the two surfaces to seal a body within the casket against the incursion of rain water and the like.
The gasket perimeter is quite large and may measure as much as 87".times.29". A shell and lid, formed from sheet metal, of those dimensions cannot be held to fine tolerances. There are, therefore, large dimensional differences in the space between the facing shell and lid flanges as the lid is tightened against the shell. Rubber forming the gasket between the two flanges can be compressed to a maximum of 40% reduction in thickness. Thereafter, any continued attempt to compress the rubber causes the bending of the metal flanges.